Cramps in side while running

[dulaney0330]

I am sure this has been addressed before but bear with me.

I have been consistently running for over a year, and recently I have been getting awful side cramps within minutes of running. I have heard the cramps are due to a "lack of oxygen" but is that true?

Has this happened to anyone and is there anything I can do about it??

Thanks!

[Shamou]

There you go... all the explanation here... compliment of Google...

Hope it helps... and... happy trails...

.

[maclinda]

So, dulaney, do you exhale when your right foot hits the ground? How about any other runners on the board, shall we test this?

Interesting article, Shamou, thanks for linking.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by maclinda

Interesting article, Shamou, thanks for linking.

My pleasure...

.

[escapee]

You may be losing too much minerals (eg : Magnesium, Potassium ) ..

Magnesium Muscle cramp - Yahoo! Search Results

Magnesium muscle cramp - Google Search

[SoonToBe]

The easiest way to deal with this: stretch out your abs and obliques before you run. Stretch them out well. Works 100% of the time for me.

[Shamou]

Something else to watch when sweating profusely while training (or in very hot weather) is the body's depletion of salt (same as table salt.)

The water in our body has the same salt concentration as sea water... and must be maintained that way...

So, after profuse sweating, one should take the something like Gatoraid of a home made mixture of the equivalent which contains:

One cup of orange juice
Two cups of water
One soupspoon of table salt...

.

[dulaney0330]

Thank you for all the links and advice. I do not recall if I am breathing when my right foot touches the ground. I do eat whole grain (raisin bran) at times before I go running, so could this be the culprit??

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by dulaney0330

Thank you for all the links and advice. I do not recall if I am breathing when my right foot touches the ground. I do eat whole grain (raisin bran) at times before I go running, so could this be the culprit??

I cannot tell you anything about the effects of "raisin bran" but, one thing I can tell you without the shadow of a doubt is that you should not eat at the very least one hour before you run... or do any physical exercises...

The reason for that being that if you eat, part of your blood supply will go to the digestive system and less blood will be available to the muscles involved in running...

That is one of the reasons that running is best in the morning... when the stomach is empty...

You eat after exercises... and not before...

.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by Shamou

I cannot tell you anything about the effects of "raisin bran" but, one thing I can tell you without the shadow of a doubt is that you should not eat at the very least one hour before you run... or do any physical exercises...

The reason for that being that if you eat, part of your blood supply will go to the digestive system and less blood will be available to the muscles involved in running...

That is one of the reasons that running is best in the morning... when the stomach is empty...

You eat after exercises... and not before...

.

Interesting. When I work out, I always do weight lifting before cardio but I do not always get the side cramp....I guess it could be a number of things.

Thanks for the post!

[dulaney0330]

Well, I went running today and I did a little better. I made sure I stretched my abs and my obliques and I did not eat any "heavy" food before the run. I began to get a minor cramp in my right side, but I made sure to breathe when my right foot hit the ground and I also massaged my right side (where it said to on the website given above).

Hopefully, the pains stop!

[coleflowers]

I have been an avid runner for 6 years and I have heard all sorts of things about why you get sideaches. From my personal experience I only get sideaches if I haven't been drinking enough water. Drinking 8 oz before a run has prevented me from having any sideaches. Also, if I am doing a run longer than five or six miles, I will make sure I drink water every 3 miles.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by coleflowers

I have been an avid runner for 6 years and I have heard all sorts of things about why you get sideaches. From my personal experience I only get sideaches if I haven't been drinking enough water. Drinking 8 oz before a run has prevented me from having any sideaches. Also, if I am doing a run longer than five or six miles, I will make sure I drink water every 3 miles.

Well, I actually drink 16-24 oz before a run...maybe this is too much?

[Wanderer]

When I get cramp when running I just lift my arms above my head, a few hundred metres of that makes it go right away - do it till it goes. Fully endorsed by a teacher at my school!

[coleflowers]

I asked my personal trainer her opinon about the side ache problem. She was the one who originally told me I wasn't drinking enough while exercising and that's why I was getting sideaches. She said without talking to you about your exercise and hydrating habits, her best gues would be to check your posture. If you tend to slouch while running you can get side aches. She suggested the stretch the pp said about raising your arms above your head. Another suggestion was to warm up more gradually when running. Sideaches can be caused if you exert too quickly and are sucking air trying to run. So maybe try running at a slower pace than what you do now. That was my trainers advice, so hope it helps. As far as drinking too much water before you run, maybe try drinking less to begin with, and than drinking smaller amounts more frequently. I hope you find something that helps! I love running so much I don't know what I would do if I had to give it up from sideaches so I really hope you can overcome them.

[dulaney0330]

Originally Posted by coleflowers

I asked my personal trainer her opinon about the side ache problem. She was the one who originally told me I wasn't drinking enough while exercising and that's why I was getting sideaches. She said without talking to you about your exercise and hydrating habits, her best gues would be to check your posture. If you tend to slouch while running you can get side aches. She suggested the stretch the pp said about raising your arms above your head. Another suggestion was to warm up more gradually when running. Sideaches can be caused if you exert too quickly and are sucking air trying to run. So maybe try running at a slower pace than what you do now. That was my trainers advice, so hope it helps. As far as drinking too much water before you run, maybe try drinking less to begin with, and than drinking smaller amounts more frequently. I hope you find something that helps! I love running so much I don't know what I would do if I had to give it up from sideaches so I really hope you can overcome them.

Thanks for the helpful post! My cramps have stopped since I began stretching my abs...thanks again!